The Electoral Commission (EC) has issued a final certificate to a new political party, the Independent People�s Party (IPP), to enable it operate as a fully-fledged party.
The certification of IPP on Friday, coming on the heels of the Progressive People�s Party (PPP), brings the number of political parties which have been certified by the EC to I9.
A Deputy Chairman of the EC, Mr Sarfo Kantanka, presented the certificate to the leader and founder of IPP, Mr Kofi Akpaloo.
The new party has pink and white as its colours, with a desktop computer in the middle of a circle as its symbol.
Supporters of the party who thronged the Ridge office of the EC as early as I0 a.m. had to wait till about 2 p.m. before the EC presented the certificate to their chairman.
Amid songs and chants of the party�s slogan �Yenko nkoaa�, to wit, no retreat, the supporters mobbed Mr Akpaloo and hailed him as he granted interview with the media.
Mr Kantanka told the leader of the party that the presentation of the certificate was the beginning of their journey as a fully fledged political party.
He asked Mr Akpaloo not to style himself as the party�s presidential candidate until he had been duly elected at the national congress of the party.
�You should go by the law and organise constituency, regional and national congresses to elect officers before electing a presidential candidate.�
�I hope that you will work hard to survive in this competitive political environment and not die as others,� he advised.
Speaking to the media, Mr Akpaloo, a 4I-year-old Chartered Accountant, said he would win the 20I2 presidential election if his party elected him as the presidential candidate.
Representing his party as the presidential candidate was evident as some of his supporters wore T-shirts with his picture embossed with the inscription �Kofi Akpaloo for President.�
He stated that Ghana under his presidency would witness tremendous improvement since everything possible would be done to create wealth for the people.
Asked whether the party had enough numbers to win the December polls, Mr Akpaloo said the party had been working underground for the past two year to mobilise the necessary supporters to cause upset in the country�s political history.
�Now that we have been issued with a certificate, you are going to see our officials and supporters operating throughout the country.�
He stated that the IPP�s support base could be found in the Volta, Central, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and the three regions in the north and gave an assurance that his officials were working around the clock to mobilise enough members in the other regions.
�Come January 7, 20I3, I will be crowned as the country�s next president to correct the mismanagement of the country and bring relief to the people.�
Asked about his political track record, mr Akpaloo explained that when he stood as an independent candidate to fight for the Manhyia seat during the 2004 elections, he had as much as I0,704 votes and placed second ahead of the NDC candidate who had about 9,000 votes.
He said an IPP government would provide quality health infrastructure to attract patients from other countries in the sub-region and beyond while educational infrastructure would witness massive improvement.
Mr Akpaloo promised that should he be elected as the country�s next president, every child would be offered a monthly stipend of GH�20.00 while every unemployed youth would be given GH�50.00, with each aged receiving GH�60.00 to cushion them.
He said Ghanaians would be encouraged to pool their resources in order to generate enough to embark on business ventures.
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